Sixteenth century timber framed cottage, Rectory Cottage, Church Road (EHER 80836)

A 16th century part brick, part timber framed, cottage built originally as a pair of cottages and converted for use as a school during the 19th century. It has a two-storey brick extension to the East, a brick lean-to to the North and a modern conservatory to the West. It has been much altered.

November 2021. Heritage assessment. Rectory Cottage was probably built sometime in the 16th century as a pair of modest cottages. The building is part brick, part timber framed and is externally faced with brick. The roof is covered with concrete tiles. There is a two-storey brick extension to the East, a brick lean-to to the rear (North), and a modern conservatory to the West. The porch and all of the windows are 20th century. A section of a truncated crown-post roof which was found over the Western two bays of the timber frame suggests the 16th century origin of the building. For several decades during the 19th century, the building served as the village school. It was during this time that the brick structure was added to the East of the timber frame, probably forming a lodge for the school master. The brick lean-to, and brick facing are also likely to date from the conversion to a school, which one source suggests was in 1848. The building was further modified in recent years, with the lodge and school now forming a single dwelling. Most of the window openings have been modified, with new ones inserted, and all of the glazing is replaced. In the last forty years, the roof has been reinforced and covered with concrete tiles. During the 1980s and 1990s, the staircase in the master’s lodge was removed, and new stairs and a galleried landing created in the lean-to. The lodge front door was replaced with a window, and new windows added. The ground-floor fireplace at the East end was rebuilt, while the first-floor room above retains a small 19th century chimneypiece. The Western part of the building (under the crown post roof) was quite heavily modified, with a new floor inserted, the chimneybreast rebuilt, and two new door openings created into the conservatory. <1>